Westpac NSW Blues speedster Josh Addo-Carr is excited to be back in camp and in a purple patch of form as he heads into the 2023 Ampol State of Origin series, kicking off in Adelaide next Wednesday.
He has no superstitions that Game One this year will be his 13th Origin appearance.
“I just always wanted to be a part of this time of the year once again,” he told nswrl.com.au
“I was disappointed (missing selection in 2022) but I just put my head down and worked hard and supported the brothers that were wearing the jersey. And that’s what I did.”
Addo-Carr acknowledged it was a slow start for him and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the 2022 season.
It took until Round Six to score his first try for 2022, but then found his groove with 16 tries in 23 games to finish the year off.
“I don’t know it was just hard because we weren’t winning games at the start of last year,” he said.
“Then we started to find some form. Through all of that I just worked harder and harder. And now I’m back here.”
This season Addo-Carr has been on fire with five tries in the opening six rounds, before an ankle injury curtailed him. He returned and scored a try in last weekend’s Round 12 win over Gold Coast (20-18).
After missing Origin, Addo-Carr was part of the Kangaroos side for last year’s Rugby League World Cup and scored 12 tries in five Tests, including five against Lebanon in the 48-4 quarter-final win.
He is relishing the return to not just the NSW Blues side, but to the Origin campaign with all its trappings and atmosphere.
“It’s just an exciting, pressure-filled game. You’ve got people not only in Australia but across the world watching it.
“It’s massive, it’s just so big. You’ve got the whole of NSW on your back so it’s real pressure, and I think pressure is a privilege in this sport.”
